Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
It can be very easy to look down on those in prison, who are homeless or on big-name people who fall morally in a very dramatic fashion. I think of the writing on the wall. “You have been weighed and found wanting.” Most of the time when I am looking and judging the failure of others it gives me the opportunity to ignore our own shortcomings. In more honest moments I remember that if the value of my life apart from Christ was weighed, would I be found wanting? It seems certain that it would. Too often I am self-centered and lazy. Too often I am tempted by power, fame and fortune. Too often I fail my Savior by simply not taking the time to love the immigrant and the outcast. My eyes look away from their desperate need. That too is sin. That too is me going astray. That too is me going my own way. That is why I need the Lord to take on my iniquity. I am ashamed to admit this desperate need. I so much long to be a righteous man, but then feel impatience at slow drivers or fresh problems.
The Lord knows our failures. He loves us and wants us to be with Him forever. Justice says that our sins will forever separate us from Him. However, God had a plan. He would serve justice and grace. If I were to commit a crime and the judge handed me a fine, that judge really does not care if I pay it or if someone else makes that payment. In this case our fine was stiff. This was much more than a simple hour or two of work to pay it off. Each of our sins requires a debt of blood. The only way to pay off such an extreme debt was for Jesus to take on the sins of the world on His own sinless person. Jesus willingly paid the price. He willingly took on all of my iniquity. My need was great, and he greatly rescued me.
